“We believe that because Sunday Parkways is a program that provides and enhances neighborhood livability, economic vitality, and neighborhood connectivity, it is an excellent candidate for General Fund support.” — Cheryl Kuck, PBOT As part of its 2010-2011 budget, The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is requesting $642,000 from the General Fund. Of that … Read more
Build It Rally City HallFebruary 4th1:30pm With the Portland Bicycle Plan up for adoption next week, our leaders in City Hall need to hear loud and clear that we want them to dig deep into their pockets and their politics to just Build It! The Build It campaign is going strong. The BTA reports the … Read more
I snagged this from the Goodwill a few days ago! In case it has slipped your mind, don’t forget that this Saturday is Portland’s first-ever Tweed Ride. To guide you to utmost enjoyment of this affair, graphic artist, freak bike maker, and volunteer Tweed Ride promoter Gabriel Amadeus recently offered these pointers: There are no … Read more
A happy e-bike owner leaves Kalkhoff Bikes in the Pearl District.(Photo by Adams Carroll) At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a new hybrid electric bike from Sanyo stole the show. The Eneloop model made lots of headlines (Treehugger called it a “game-changer” and it even made it’s way into the Business section … Read more
The Oregon contingent and Congressman Peter DeFazio in 2009. (Photos © J. Maus) Earlier this week I bought my plane ticket and officially registered for the 2010 National Bike Summit in Washington D.C.. With a transportation bill in limbo, “livable communities” buzzing on everyone’s lips, high-speed rail and distracted driving making major headlines, and social … Read more
Vergnetti’s Coffee: Bikes welcome. What streetcar did for the Pearl District, bikes are doing for North Williams Avenue. O.K., so maybe it’s not quite an equal comparison, but the presence of bike traffic on Williams has encouraged its share of development and the influx of bike-friendly businesses popping up along the street shows no sign … Read more
Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten addresses the crowd in Tigard last night.(Photos © J. Maus) If the energy and turnout at our Get Together in Tigard last night is any indication, the West Side is poised for big leaps in biking in the coming years — but it won’t come easy. About 60 people filled … Read more
Show me the money. On the same day President Obama announced $8 billion for high speed rail and “the largest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System,” a report released today by the non-profit Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly known as the Thunderhead Alliance) shows that in almost every state and major U.S. … Read more
A sign of things to come? Will a new LEED-like road certification program help the Oregon Department of Transportation do more for biking and walking access? According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, the ODOT is considering whether they should adopt The Greenroads Sustainability Performance Metric. Greenroads is a joint effort by the University of … Read more
BTA legislative committee chair Doug Parrow.(Photo © J. Maus) The BTA’s Board Chair Mary Roberts sent out a letter via email today with updates on “major initiatives” they’re working on. Here are a few bits from the letter that caught my eye: Preparing for the 2011 Legislative Session The legislature will be making critical decisions … Read more
ReRack (and the BTA) want your used racks.(Photo: ReRack) I’ve heard a lot of good things about ReRack — a Portland-based company that buys and sells used roof racks and components — and now they’ve teamed up with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. It makes sense. After all, for many people who ride bikes, having some … Read more
Jesse Cornett.(Photo © J. Maus) When Jesse Cornett threw his hat into the ring in the race for Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s seat on the Portland City Council, I immediately heard from my sources at Portland State University (where Cornett worked before leaving to run his campaign). They were ecstatic that someone with such a bike-sensitive … Read more